Softbank to Acquire 70% Stake in Sprint for $20.1 Billion

Will Sprint Unlimited Data be Ephemeral?

Softbank will surely examine where Sprint is bleeding capital and resources such as offering UNLIMITED data when there is a clearly limited and finite resource to be had?

I am a true fan of Dan Hesse and Bob Johnson but the unlimited data business model is not sustainable while maintaining an acceptable operating margin and while contributing and maintaining the EBITDA and OBITDA.

Sprint is rich asset and spectrum but they are seriously lacking operational funds. and truly unlimited handset data is quite taxing on the resources of a network that is crippled by a botched network vision upgrade that is way over budget and behind schedule and that has negativity impacted and ALIENATED thousands of otherwise loyal base customers , almost ...(continues)

I beg to differ. Unlimited Data is what is keeping Sprint competitive. What would differentiate Sprint from AT&T or Verizon if it also had tiered data? They sure couldn't keep subscribers from fleeing that's for sure. Unlimited isn't going anywhere anytime soon. And from what I've read. Softbank is in a very similar position in Japan, they are 3rd, and offer a similar unlimited plan. I will argue that long term, unlimited data is how all plans will be...similar to how Time Warner Road Runner. Especially when VoLTE is the standard...

I think you both have valid points. Unlimited data has been Sprints biggest selling point but, it is taxing their resources, financially, at least. As for the network, they may actually find a way to limit the stress of maintaining truly truly limited data for the foreseeable future. I believe that without this deal, Sprint would have ended their unlimited data eventually. Three to five years, MAYBE.

Even Tmobile isn't truly unlimited, without limitations. Now, this is info that was told to me by several people I know have Tmoble. They explained to me, while it is unlimited, it is capped and all but useless, outside of surfing the web and checking email, once you reach your data limit.

A lot of what you say is true. Basically the gist of it is corporate profit trumps public good. Right now what you see the wireless telecoms doing is tolerable. But if the full power of wireless handsets is truly restricted to a point where public good is compromised, you'll see the government step in. Right now the industry is like the wild west. One day it will be a lot more regulated.